Sam Curtain’s Beaten to Death set to unleash hell in 2024

Thomas Roach in Beaten to Death.

by Matthew Eeles

After making waves across the US during its theatrical run, Sam Curtain’s Beaten to Death is set to release locally via Umbrella Entertainment.

Filmed in Tasmania, Beaten to Death follows Jack, played by Thomas Roach, who is led down a path that leaves him beaten and bruised as he struggles against man, nature, and his own insanity.

Stranded in the middle of nowhere after barely surviving a horrific assault, Jack encounters one local after another and quickly learns that a sick game of cat and mouse is about to begin.

Battling the deranged country psychos and the harsh landscape, Jack must go to extreme lengths to survive.

“We had aspirations for an Umbrella release from the start, so we’re stoked that they came to the table as fans of the film,” Beaten to Death co-writer and co-producer Benjamin Jung-Clarke tells Cinema Australia.

“For an indie production, a name like Umbrella adds a lot of legitimacy to the project. When we told the team that we’d signed with Umbrella, everyone was over the moon.”

Benjamin tells Cinema Australia that they had always strived for Beaten to Death to be seen by a local audience.

“We’ve had some festival screenings and success here, but a traditional Australian release is a long time coming, and it’s about time that the average Aussie punter gets a glimpse of our messed-up movie. I can’t wait to hear what our local fans think of our latest bloodbath.”

Thomas Roach in Beaten to Death.

Local gorehounds keen for bucketloads of bloody violence will want to put Beaten to Death high on their must-see films, with the website Bloody Disgusting stating that the “ultra-violent survival horror film more than earns its title” in their review.

“From the initial story inception, I wanted to achieve two things. I knew I wanted to create a visceral and violent experience, but I also wanted to find beauty in the frame,” says director, co-writer, and co-producer Sam Curtain.

“This is partially the reason why I decided to shoot it myself, to capture everything in the moment, in a hands-on tactile way, connecting the direction between the actor, the lens, and myself.”

The production showcases a range of new and emerging creative talent from a variety of skilled cast and crew, mostly from Tasmania.

“We are based in Tasmania and will do what we can to ensure we are primarily using local talent,” co-producer Libby Jessup explains. “As opposed to the ‘fly-in fly-out’ model used by many other productions looking to take advantage of our state.”

The horror genre continues to be a crowd-pleaser with films like Talk to Me currently breaking box office records, and Beaten to Death aims to delve deep into the minds of the fans of the genre.

An official release date via Umbrella Entertainment will be announced in the first quarter of 2024. For now, you can enjoy some stunning stills from the film below, along with the US trailer.

Keep an eye on cinemaaustralia.com.au for updates.